Seven Years
by SpiderLover
Summary: Lyon tries to find closure after hearing about Gray's 'death' for seven years. Oneshot.


Lyon entered the guildhall, pleased with another mission done well. A regular client had requested him personally for vanquishing a hoard of magical pests (a result of his daughter's experiment gone wrong) who were immune to everything but large quantities of ice. Of course, it had been more than easy to freeze the lot, and pleased with his efforts, the client had paid him the full reward, opting to disregard the damages done to the furniture because of the ice. Lyon was just thankful that no one had told the guild master (or Jura)- because who wanted to be associated with something Fairy Tail was excellent at: properly damage? They would think he was turning into another Gray.

His thoughts were interrupted by Toby clearing his throat. Lyon started when he realized that all the guild members were sitting in the hall, staring at him. Master Ooba was holding a letter, her hands shaking (although that may have been due to old age), Jura was holding his head in his hands, Yuka was looking at him sympathetically, and Sherry was sniffling.

"Lyon," Master Ooba said gravely.

"Is something the matter," Lyon asked awkwardly, and immediately kicked himself. Of course something was wrong.

"Come and sit down first," Jura said, sounding uncharacteristically gentle. Lyon lowered himself onto a barstool, fearing the worst. Had they found out about his romance novel collection? Were they holding an _intervention_?

"We just got news from the Magic Council," Master Ooba said, voice shaking. "Tenrou Island blew up. Members of Fairy Tail were on it for the S-class wizard trials."

Lyon couldn't think straight. Master Ooba's voice went quieter.

"The rescue team found no trace of any bodies, nor any guarantee that they escaped."

.

.

Lyon slammed his beer down on the top, and slurred for more. What was it- his fourth? Fifth? Tenth? What did it matter? Fairy Tail was dead.

Gray was dead.

Right after he heard the news, Lyon bolted, not even knowing where he was going. He could barely hear Sherry's wails and Jura's cries for him to stop. He only stopped running when he ended up outside the most violent bar in Margaret.

In hindsight, it was odd that he ended up there. The bar was notorious for its unruly customers and questionable bartenders- the Fairy Tail of bars, everyone said; Lamina Scale was often requested to break up fights, or help arrest perpetrators. Lyon himself was one of the regulars who assisted in stopping brawls there.

He got questionable looks as he entered, but no one really focused on him too much. He downed beer after beer, and eventually passed out right there on the bar top.

.

.

The next few months were absolute hell. Lyon would either be holed up in his home or when he wasn't, drinking he night away in the bar. He took risky jobs, ones that brought back enough money to last him a month, but left him with severe injuries that left the rest of the guild cringing on impact.

It wasn't as if the rest of the guild didn't help him. Sherry had been by his side constantly whenever he was at the guild, often assisting him on jobs, unwelcomed or not. He usually tried to brush her off, but her persistent nature prevailed and he gave up getting rid of her. Toby and Yuka tried to act super optimistic around him, well meaning, but annoying. Jura repeated inquired if Lyon would be interested in therapy, and Master Ooba turned a blind eye to any property damage he was responsible for in his risky jobs, often taking the heat from the angry clients.

They were great. He just wasn't responsive.

Honestly, he was initially confused why he was this upset. When Ur died, he went to find a purpose- to revive Deliora so he could prove to himself that he was strong. Upon reuniting with Gray, he realized that his purpose was completely flawed, and joined Lamina scale shortly after Natsu Dragneel somehow defeated the monster and Erza 'Titania' Scarlet 'saved' the residents of the island. He had changed, but wasn't exactly a new person. He was still hostile towards Gray, and contacted him barely, if at all. The two 'brothers' somewhat reconciled after the whole incident with the Oracion Seis, with Lyon and Gray exchanging letters and even partnering up for jobs.

Of course, they could have done better. And now, they couldn't. Lyon felt lost again.

He didn't know how long he could take it.

.

.

Thankfully, he got his act together the next year and begun to make a proper name for himself. He devoted himself to work and training entirely and become known as 'Sub Zero'.

With the New Year, came the Grand Magic Games. Lamina Scale joined and won second place, losing to the mysterious Sabertooth guild. The Games were a godsend to the guild, helping them advertise their strongest members, and showcase their members' versatility in magic. Toby and Yuka had really benefited from the publicity, getting more opportunities to go on better jobs.

Jura did not participate. The Wizard Saint was too busy to participate, and the organizers of the games heavily hinted that he would be a safety hazard, which Lyon found preposterous. Jura could control his magic well enough.

Lyon didn't participate either. He was still in the process of getting back on track, and didn't feel ready to showcase his magic in public just as yet.

"Maybe next year," he told Master Ooba. That was a lie. He wouldn't participate in the next six games, until Gray came back.

What disappointed him was Fairy Tail. The once most powerful guild in Fiore, came in last, losing pathetically to every minor guild on the continent. It was an embarrassment for them, and a shock to everyone else. It was no surprise to anyone after it begun to go down, despite the efforts of the new master, Macao Conbolt to keep it out of debt.

"Oh look," Sherry said, reading the newspaper one day. "A new guild has appeared in Magnolia- Twilight Ogre."

That really showed how low Fairy Tail had sunk. No guild had dared to form in Magnolia (other than Phantom Lord), with Fairy Tail making it obvious that it was the powerhouse in that area. The presence of Twilight Ogre made it obvious that Fairy Tail probably wouldn't be sticking around for much longer.

.

.

The next year, the news of an escaped convict flitted amongst the streets. Lyon kept out of it, until he picked up a newspaper one day and found himself staring face to face with…

Jellal Fernandes.

The man who helped bring Nirvana and the Oracion Seis down. Lyon didn't know him personally, but Jura said that despite the man's help, he was quickly whisked away by the Rune Nights under Erza Scarlet's command (which made no sense).

Apparently, this Jellal person had a shady past. He worked as a slave in the Tower of Heaven, and later turned evil and held slaves hostage and brainwashed them to attempt to finish the tower. He later kidnapped Erza Scarlet and hired a guild of assassins to take down the members of Fairy Tail (which included Gray) who had come to rescue Erza.

No wonder the Magic Council was quick to place him in a maximum-security prison cell. How he had escaped was beyond anyone.

One day, Lyon was sitting in a bar, waiting for his client to show up with his pay, where he was confronted by a dark haired woman wearing a hood.

"Are you Lyon Vastia?" she asked.

"Who are you?" The woman sounded very familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he had heard her before.

"Ice Make: Rosen Krone," she whispered, and a small model of roses and spiky branches.

Lyon stood up. There was only one person he knew who could use that spell.

"I need to talk to you," she said. Lyon nodded hurriedly and the two left the bar and entered a secluded alleyway.

"Who are you?" Lyon asked again.

The woman simply uncovered her face. Lyon gasped- the woman looked like…

"I am Ultear Milkovich."

… Ur.

Lyon knew his life had instantly become more complicated.

.

.

"So you broke Jellal Fernandes out of prison alone?" Lyon asked.

"Of course not," Ultear said. "My daughter Meredy was elemental in doing so."

"Daughter?" Lyon couldn't believe what he was hearing. He and Ultear were around the same age. Whenever did she get pregnant?

"I adopted her," Ultear said.

"And is she hear right now?" asked Lyon.

"No, she's helping Jellal settle in a safehouse," Ultear told him. "Meanwhile, I wanted to meet my… brother."

"I…" Lyon didn't know what to say. He was under the impression that Ultear was dead. He had seen Ur crying about it many years ago when he was still her student. "Your mother had another student," he said hastily. "He was-"

"Gray Fullbuter," Ultear murmered. "I knew him. He was the one who told me that you existed. We met on Tenrou Island, before it blew up."

"What were you doing on Tenrou?" Lyon asked. It was a private ground of Fairy Tail, and there was no way Ultear could have had access to it, unless she was a member of Fairy Tail herself. And she wasn't; Gray would have told Lyon if she was.

Actually, scratch that. Gray wasn't the definition of responsible and prudent.

"I was part of the dark guild, Grimoire Heart," Ultear said, looking regretful. "Along with my guild mates, I invaded the island during the S class trials. I fought Gray, and after being thrown into the ocean, I realized that my mother never abandoned me in the first place."

What?

"The ocean?" Lyon asked.

"Yes. After your experimentation with the Moon Drip, her body melted to be part of the ocean," Ultear said.

Lyon's heart stopped. All this time, he thought that he had killed Ur. But all he needed to do to hear from her again was… go for a swim?

"I-" Lyon said. "I'm glad you're alive," he admitted. "I thought I lost all links I had to Ur."

"As did I," Ultear said. They sat in silence for a few minutes, feeling comforted by the other's presence.

"So Ultear," Lyon broke the silence. "Why did you want to contact me now?"

"Well, you see," she said, a small grin on her face. "Jellal, Meredy and I want to start a dark guild to eradicate guilds connected to Zeref. And it's not like we have funds to get us started. So I was wondering if…"

"Ultear!"

.

.

That was the first and last time he saw Ultear. The public looking for Jellal, as well as Lyon's busy schedule and lack of knowledge on the trio's whereabouts made it difficult for them to meet.

The next year, Chelia joined the guild. She was a ten year old child, who had somehow taught herself the lost magic of Sky Godslayer magic, from books she found. She was remarkably capable for someone who learned from a bunch of waterlogged manuscripts in the public library. Lyon knew from experience how difficult that was. (It wasn't like Ur taught him how to use moon drip!)

"My name is Chelia Blendy," the girl said while nervously fiddling with her firecracker- pink pigtails. "I wanted to join the guild to learn more about applying my magic, and, well, _love_ ,"

She was definitely Sherry's cousin.

Surprisingly, the girl was rather lonely at the guild. Sherry would have normally been there to help her fitting in, but her long term boyfriend Ren from Blue Pegasus as well as her sudden unexplainable popularity from the most recent Games kept her too busy to regularly check on the girl. Toby and Yuka were entirely useless as treating children (as they never knew their parents). Jura was too busy, and Master Ooba was traumatizing to say the least, with the constant spinning and the short temper.

That's how Lyon found himself caring for her. Something about her reminded him of himself from a many years ago. He was lonely, unique, and no one knew how to help him. Chelia had to find someone to trust if she didn't want to be drawn down a dark path.

Despite taking her under his wing out of self-obligation, Lyon found himself actually caring for her. Her innocence contrasted with his cynicism, and her desire to please may or may not warmed his heart. But even still, Lyon stayed icy around her, unwilling to let the child know anything about his personal life or spend any time with her away from a guild unless it was a job. Until one day.

"So Lyon, do you have any family?" she asked during a train ride home from a job.

"I did," he said, not liking where the conversation was going.

"Where are they now?" she asked.

"My parents are dead, my teacher is in the ocean, and my brother is dead," Lyon said curtly.

Her eyes widened. "That's horrible! Sherry only told me that Gray is dead. She said that he was your boyfriend." Then her eyes widened further. "Wait. Did you call him your _brother_?"

"Sherry called him my _boyfriend_?" Lyon yelped. He would surely have some (angry) words with Sherry later on. "Urgh, he's got the IQ of a salamander!" the salamander could have been a reference to Natsu Dragneel, but it was mutually agreed that his intelligence was comparable to an actual salamander.

"Sure did," she chirped. "But you're not denying that he's like your brother."

"You little-"

She dodged the bonk he aimed for her head. "It's nice to see that you've gotten over it to a point where you can joke about him."

He froze. All these years, people had been walking on eggshells around him, assuming that he was not over Gray's death. _He_ didn't think he was over Gray's death. But he was getting there, progressing towards closure.

Chelia helped him realize that.

"Hey, Chelia," he took a deep breath. "This job paid us well. We'll have enough money to spend for a solid week. During that time, would you like us to train together? I could help you improve your 'second sky arrow'."

Chelia's face lit up. "Ooh, yes!" she said. "It'll be great for developing our love!" she snuggled into his arm.

Lyon spent the rest of the ride convincing her that he was not in love with her. Funnily, this reminded him of Gray's complaints about his 'obsessive stalker' Juvia Lockser.

.

.

A few years later, Lyon could safely say that he was over Gray's death. He no longer flinched at anyone's usage of his name, and even joked around about how stupid he was with Chelia.

However one day, Lyon and Yuka were at the request board, debating about which job to take, when Toby burst into the guildhall, yelling for Master Ooba.

"What the hell, Toby?" Yuka hissed at him after he upturned Yuka's coffee.

"Yes, what on earth is going on over here, Toby?" Master Ooba snapped, emerging from her office with Chelia and Jura.

"Mater," Toby said, panting. "Our recon- Tenrou Island- it's back like it never blew up in the first place."

"Impossible!"

"Preposterous!"

"Toby, it is not very nice to joke about these kind of things," Chelia reprimanded him.

He ignored her. "Master, look at the report. It says the member's may be alive"

She snatched it and skimmed over it. Her eyes widened. "My goodness, it's true. Fairy Tail is sending out a search party and want to know if we'll join."

"Let me go," Lyon said, voice shaking. "I need to see if he's alive."

Master Ooba scrutinized him for a long minute.

"No," she said. "Toby, send word to Macao Conbolt that none of us are joining the search party."

"No!" Lyon shouted. Master Ooba look at him regretfully.

"I'm sorry, Lyon," she said. "I can't get your hopes up."

.

.

It turned out that the Fairy Tail members had been found indeed, alive and well. Lyon immediately made his way towards Magnolia to see his stupid brother again.

Even through the ride there, he was half convinced that this was a practical joke. He spent years resigning himself to the fact that Gray was dead, and now he wasn't.

He burst into the shack that Fairy Tail called its guildhall and came face to face with Gray, who looked as young as he had been seven years ago. Lyon couldn't speak. He felt the urge to sweep up Gray into a tight hug, but also wanted to beat the daylights out of that annoying brat.

"So," Gray smirked. "Did you miss me?"

Lyon couldn't think straight. Did he miss him? _Did he miss him_? What did he think Lyon went through for the past _seven years_?

"No."

.

.

 **And that's that! Don't take the ending too seriously- Lyon is a grumpy tsundere.**

 **The pain that all the Fairy Tail members felt during the seven years is well developed in the manga, anime and fanfiction, but so far, I haven't seen anyone try to depict how Lyon felt, so I gave it a go.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **~SpiderLover** **J**


End file.
